@Love it ~ I agree that the shoulder seams could be finished a little better. The french seam would certainly do it or a hand-stitched flat-felled seam on the inside so that the fashion fabric was covered by the lining fabric. The shoulder seams are so short it wouldn't take THAT long to do.
After the sleeves are inserted, the armscye seams should be trimmed and flat-felled also or at least bound with bias tape...anything would be better than the fashion fabric showing on the inside of the jacket, unless you don't mind it looking like a fifth-grade school project.

Any exposed zipper just looks ridiculous. I see this as just another fad that will wane quickly, leaving garments with exposed zippers looking so outdated they will be relegated to the back of the closet or thrown in the Goodwill bin. I can't imagine spending quality time sewing this project just to toss it out later, or spending time reworking the zipper the correct way after the fad dies. What a waste of valuable time and energy. Remember when the fad was wearing your garents wrong side out---that didn't last long either.

ALL of these monstrosities were hideous beyond belief. They all have the look of desperation about them as if they were products of everyone trying too hard. The only reason anybody won was because, well, somebody had to win.

Vogue's new fall pattern line looks as if it is comprised of amateur contestant submissions, except for the Donna Karan dress. I also liked a very similar design several years ago so I might as well dig that one out of my pattern drawer and make slight alterations. Maybe I've been sewing for too many years because nothing looks that 'new' anymore.

I first learned to sew doll clothes by hand using scraps of fabric, ribbon, and lace my my mother had left over from making her own clothes. When my foot was finally able to reach the pedal I was allowed to sew simple things like aprons on the machine. When I graduated to making my school clothes, the style was dresses with a fitted shirtwaist bodice and very full skirts with a side zipper. By the time I took sewing in home ec I was already a skilled seamstress and assisted the teacher by showing others the basics. It started when I observed a classmate put a zipper foot attachment on the machine upsidedown. I was so nieve - I thought everyone learned how to sew at home. Every female in my family for generations has learned to sew from a family member. Not so in today's world...kids could not care less. They seem to be addicted to cell fones, texting and computer games, none of which requires a whit of imagination or the satisfaction of a job well done.

Many decades ago when I was just a teenager my greatgrandmother gave me a pincushion she made by hand which was covered in velvet and filled with a very fine sand. It has always reminded me of her and has kept all my pins and needles rust free and very sharp to this very day. All the women in my family sew and I am thankful that we have this "thread" running through the generations which allows the older generations to pass along thier sewing wisdom and the younger generations to share tne newest tips and tricks.

Serging all four edges of the pocket before beginning the pocket construction prevents any raveling and is a lot quicker than lining. Unless, of course, you are constucting a high fashion garment, then lining would be an appropriate finish.